1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a power inverter and, more particularly, to utilizing a leakage energy recovery circuit to enhance the efficiency of a power inverter.
2. Description of the Related Art
Inverters denote a class of power conversion circuits used to produce AC power from DC power. Such inverters find widespread use in alternative energy systems where solar panels, wind turbines, hydroelectric generators, and the like produce DC power that requires conversion to AC power to facilitate coupling the generated power to the AC commercial power grid. In such systems, the power conversion process must be performed in an efficient manner.
Conventionally, inverter circuits utilize a transformer to “step up” the voltage produced by the source. During operation of the transformer, current flowing in a primary winding produces a magnetic flux that is coupled to a secondary winding. The magnetic flux also traverses paths outside the windings, resulting in leakage inductance in the transformer. The leakage inductance is a property of the transformer in which the windings of the transformer appear to have some self inductance in series with each winding. The energy stored in the leakage inductance cannot be transferred to the secondary winding, and a quick change in the primary current, such as when the control switch turns off, will induce a voltage surge which could damage the switch.
To control the level of voltage surge, existing technologies utilize resistor-capacitor (RC) circuits coupled across the primary winding of the transformer to drain such leakage energy. In these circuits, the leakage energy is applied to a capacitor and then dissipated through a resistor. Such designs waste the energy of the leakage energy, which decreases the overall efficiency of the inverter.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an inverter having a leakage energy recovery circuit.